Sinit and Alex's Eritrean Ecuadorian Wedding at the Royalton and Glendon College

Hi Everyone! Welcome to another blog post on my website. The first one I get to post this year is the beautiful wedding of Sinit and Alex!

I met this couple back in 2022. when I had the pleasure of covering their engagement shoot that year. You can see that shoot HERE!

In June of 2023, I was fortunate to cover their beautiful wedding! I have to say this couple is one of the most down to earth, easy going and and fun loving couples that I have ever had the pleasure of capturing.

The wedding day started out at a downtown tower, where I arrived at 8.00 am and was super happy to find both the bride and groom ready to go in their separate suites for the getting ready images. The bride’s beautiful makeup was done by talented M.U.A Tracy K and her hair was styled by BBN Studios.

The church ceremony took place at St. Basil’s Cathedral (part of St Michael’s college at the University of Toronto). You can imagine my happiness when I found out it was only a 5 minute walk from the getting ready location so there was virtually no chance of any of the wedding party or vendors being late/ stuck in traffic.

It was a heartfelt ceremony and I found myself crying with the bride and groom, as they saw each other for the first time while the bride walked down the aisle accompanied by her father. After the church ceremony there was the usual chaos and exuberant joy of family and friends exiting the church behind the bride and groom, however as I had already attended the rehearsal and gave some tips for this portion of the day the bride and groom were ready for the family portraits at a location we selected at the rehearsal. Everything went so smoothly (well except for the fact that the sun decided to be dramatic and change directions every two minutes. I think it just wanted to serenade the couple and their guests with light because it was such a joyous day).

Having spent time with the bride to prepare the photography schedule ahead of the wedding day, we did the photoshoot on the stunning grounds of Glendon college! We made sure to put enough buffer time for the large wedding party and am glad my advice of sticking with the buffer time was adhered to. The bride and groom have such wonderful friends who really made the experience a fun one for the couple. Adding a lovely element to the “lifetime of memories experience”.

The reception took place at the Royalton Banquet Hall. I fell in love with the decor the minute I saw it! A beautiful setup by Babylon Decor!

My personal favourite moment of the evening was the traditional Eritrean entrance, complete with men holding swords and the women drumming away. That was a sight to behold whilst the wedding party were escorted in to the reception hall. I loved it! Well I will let you take a look at the images below and see the beautiful happenings of the day! Please do check out the following vendors as well!

Vendors:

Reception Venue: The Royalton

Ceremony Venue: St. Basil’s Church (part of St. Michael’s College at UofT)

Portraits Location: Glendon College

Melse Venue: The Lithianian Centre

Videographer: PhotoBerhan

Florals and Decor: Babylon Decor

M.U.A: Tracy K

Hair: BBN Studio

Bride;s Dress: The bride’s choice official

Groom’s Suit: The Suit Supply

Wedding Bands: Bobby Ll Toronto

Catering: Tsehaye

Cake: Tatiana Treats 2.0

DJ: Andre Clarke

Second Shooter for Karimah Gheddai Photography: Ali Haider

Assistant for KGP on the Day: Raghav

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

The Melse is the traditional Eritrean event that follows a wedding. This Melse happened the day after the wedding. Starting at the getting ready suites and the celeberation venue being at the Lithuanian community centre.

Thank you for stopping by to read my latest blog post. I hope you enjoyed looking through the images as much as I enjoyed covering this event and putting together the post. Until next time I hope to see you back here or better yet that we get to work together!

-Karimah

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Rochelle and Jermaine's Engagement Shoot at Parkwood Estate in Oshawa

Hello beautiful people! Welcome to another blog post on my website! Today I feature the engagement shoot of Rochelle and Jermaine at the fabulous Parkwood Estate.

Shooting at Parkwood Estate is always a delight and I love to challenge myself to shoot it in different ways! The couple were gracious in letting me get creative with the imagery and I loved working with them! After a lovely session at Parkwood, we ended the shoot with a casually styled shoot at a nearby park. I loved the couple’s choice of wardrobe for the Parkwood portion! It was so elegant. The colourful bouquet was a neat touch. As well, their casual wardrobe choice for the second half of the shoot was great.

I look forward to shooting their wedding next year!

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

As always, thanks for stopping by my page! I hope I get to see you back here or better yet that we get to work together in person!

-Karimah

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Luna and Michael's Crystal Garden Engagement Shoot at Preto Loft

Hello Hello Hello!

Welcome to another blog post on my website. I am always so excited when I get a chance to post here.

Engagement photo shoots have a way of capturing the essence of a couple's love and personalities, freezing those beautiful moments in time. Recently, I had the privilege of documenting an engagement photo shoot that was nothing short of being simply gorgeous. This particular shoot took place at the lovely Preto loft when they had their “Crystal Garden” setup. The studio had a luxurious arrangement adorned with lush greenery and elegant chandeliers. For those seeking for this setup for their own shoot, unfortunately Preto Loft has already taken it down (as it was a temporary feature) however Preto Loft has always been an amazing place for me to shoot at. I simply love the quality of light that hits the studio on bright sunny days. I do feel so lucky however that we got to do the shoot here with the “Crystal Garden” backdrop and I do hope they return it in the future because it is just chic!

My clients were a stylish couple and I genuinely enjoyed working with them. This was definitely one of my favourite shoots to have covered this year. I am grateful they chose me to document their engagement shoot and wish them a most beautiful wedding ahead!

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Until next time thank you for joining me on another blog post! I hope to see you back here! or better yet that we get to work together!

-Karimah

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Engagement Shoot, Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Hiwot and Michael's Stylish Multicultural Wedding at the Paramount Event Space and the Aga Khan Museum

Hello Hello Hello! Welcome to another blog post on my website! Today I get to share the wedding of one of my favourite wedding clients!

THIS WEDDING IS CURRENTLY FEATURED ON EVENTSOURCE.CA!

Hiwot and Michael met at their workplace in Toronto. They were connected via a mutual friend, and were inseparable from there. Hiwot is of Ethiopian Heritage and Michael of Tamil heritage, so this two-day wedding celebration was definitely unique! The first day was the main event (traditional western style wedding) and the second day, the Ethiopian traditional event known as the Melse.

The wedding brought together many elements of the couple’s cultural backgrounds. The event was a beautiful showcase of personalized and sophisticated timeless details. These details could be seen throughout the day. Details like the cute engraved ring box, and the bridal veil which featured the couple’s names and wedding date in Geez script. An homage to the bride’s Ethiopian heritage.

The bride wore a gorgeous dress from David’s Bridal with lots of lace details including the unique lace straps. She had her hair styled by Hair by Hanani who gave her long tresses loose curls. For the makeup, BBM beauty gave Hiwot a soft glam look that really highlighted her beautiful features. Michael wore a custom made suit by CE Clothier and looked dashing. The inside of the jacket featured the couple’s wedding date sewn in.  The bridal party wore dresses that were a beautiful shade of light teal and the groomsmen matched their outfits with ties in the same colour whilst rocking light gray suits.

The catholic ceremony was the first event of the day. It happened at the Annunciation of the Blessed Mary church. It was a beautiful and meaningful celebration of the couple’s love. A sari presentation from the groom’s side in between the ceremony signified the blending of their two cultures and truly made for a multicultural experience

After the ceremony we headed to the architecturally stunning Aga Khan Museum to do the couple’s wedding portraits along with photos of the wedding party.

The reception happened at the gorgeous Paramount event space in Vaughan. For the decor of the reception hall, Sam of Dream Wedding Decor created a splendid head table with lots of candles, silk flowers and a glass table with gold edges. To match, there were also beautiful secondary tablescapes for the guests that utilized a mix of tall and low centerpieces. Lighting by the venue gave the room a unique ambiance. With beautiful circular designs projected on to the walls of the room

One of the most memorable moments of the wedding was when the couple had their Grand entrance and it was followed by Ethiopian music then some Tamil music. The dance floor was filled with guests of all ages, who joined in the celebration and added to the joyful energy of the event. It truly was lovely to see all the families and guests enjoying the music and different styles of dancing!

Some of the other neat features at the reception included the couple having their own custom drinks that guests could order, and a cool late night wood fired oven pizza station. The pizzas were absolutely delicious.

Day two was a more intimate event. The Melse is a beautiful but more laid back celebration of the couple. We started off the day by doing the couple’s portraits in their traditional Ethiopian outfitsThen we headed over to the event space where the couple had a grand entrance and were welcomed by their family and friends all lined up and holding giant palm leaves as is typical of the Ethiopian culture when it comes to wedding entrances.The Melse featured delicious Ethiopian food that was a hit with everyone, lots of dancing and a traditional coffee ceremony.

It was an honor for myself and all the dedicated vendors to be a part of such a special day, and I personally will always cherish the memories of their multicultural wedding.

VENDORS:

Reception: Location and Catering: Paramount Event Space

Photography: Karimah Gheddai Photography (KGP)

Second Shooter for KGP: Michael Gozum

Planner: Weddings with Nia

Wedding Cake: Cakes by Nams

Hiwot’s Dress: Davids Bridal

Hairtylist: Hair by Hanani

Bride’s Makeup: BBM Beauty

Invitation Card: Stephita Invitations

M.C: Zaki Zeeko

Bride’s Custom Veil: Pia Eva

Melse Location: Baba’s Banquet Hall

Well that brings me to the end of this blogpost. As always thank you for stopping by my page! Hope to see you back here again or better yet that we get to work together some day!

-Karimah

Kelly and Jeff's 2 in 1 Multicultural Ghanaian Canadian Wedding at the Osler Bluff Ski Club in Collingwood, Ontario

Hi Everyone! Well beautiful September is here, and it is my favourite month because it is also my birthday month hehe.

Today, I am sharing one of the nicest weddings I have ever covered. I had the absolute joy of capturing Kelly and Jeff’s gorgeous multicultural wedding in beautiful Collingwood, Ontario. From stunning colourful decor to breathtaking scenery, the day was filled with magical moments, including a beautiful traditional Ghanaian outdoor ceremony (honouring the groom’s heritage). This was then followed by an elegant western style ceremony. I quite enjoyed Collingwood and the beautiful Osler Bluff Ski club where the wedding took place. I would definitely love to shoot there again in the future! Some of the highlights of the day included the most vibrant selections of florals. From the bride’s stunning bouquet to the decor at the ceremony, Angela of Little Buds and Posies certainly created some stunning and unique arrangements! I also loved that the beautiful ceremony location that overlooked the Ski Hills (the couple love to ski together and got engaged at those hills).

VENDORS

Planner: Victoria of VC Events

Bouquet and Other Florals: Little Buds and Posies

M.U.A: MUA by Lee

Hair: Hair by Parlour

Kelly and Jeff’s Traditional Ghanaian Outfits: Kwesiya

Kelly’s White Dress: Laudae @laudaebride

Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Azazie Official

Wedding Cake: Jeff’s Mom

Wedding Venue: Osler Bluffs Ski Club

Videographer: Seize the moment Studios

Photography: Karimah Gheddai Photography (KGP)

Second Shooter for KGP: Shubila K

Catering: Food Dudes

THIS WEDDING WAS RECENTLY FEATURED ON EVENTSOURCE BLOG! SEE BLOG POST HERE!

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!

Thank you for joining me on another blog post. I absolutely loved this wedding and hope to cover more beautiful weddings like this in the future!

If you would like to book me for your 2024 Wedding or Event then get in touch HERE!